Wrapper-feeding mechanism.



R. F. STEWART.

WRAPPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEBJO, 1913.

1,066,058, v Patented July 1, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1. I

Rwy/m f7 Srmmr R. F. STEWART. WRAPPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED PEBJO, 1913.

Patented July 1, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. F. STEWART.

WRAPPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED rmmo, 1913.

1,066,058. Patented July 1, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

R. F. STEWART. WRAPPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEBJO, 1913.

Patented July 1, 1913 4 SHEETS-SHEBT 4.

rennan r. answers, or new roan. N. Y.

WRAIPPERJEEDING MECHANISM.

incense.

Specification of Let-tens Patent.

Patented July 1 1913..

Application filed February 10, 1913. Serial No. 747,371.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD F. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in 'Wra per-Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to wrapper feeding mechanism, and has for its object to provide mechanism for delivering wrappers singly from a stack into. such position that! the wrappers may be operated upon to en velop commodities to be-wrapped, as by the machine set forth in co-pending application, Serial Number 669,606, filed January 5, 1912.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown and shall be described in connection with butter handling machines, such as disclosed in the above noted application, but it will be understood that it is not confined to this particular type of machine, but may be used to feed wrappers or sheets for any purpose for which this mechanism is found desirable, and all such mechanical variations as are obvious expedients or substantial equivalents of the devices shown and described are, of course, within the range of this invention.

In order that the invention may be further understood by those skilled in the art; there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings the preferred embodiment of the invention, in which drawings Figure 1 is an obverse side elevation ofa butter handling machine, showing the mechanism of this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a detail enlarged reverse side elevation of the mechanism for advancing, the stack of wrappers singly from the stack. Fig. 3 is a similar-View showing the obverse side of the device. Fig. 4; is a central sectional view taken through the same; Fig, 5 is a detail top plan View of one side of the hopper and mechanism mounted thereon. Fig; 6 is a detail enlarged inside elevational view of the feeler arm and its adjusting device. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 8 is a detail enlarged view of one of the sheet holding points, showing in section the mounting thereof. Fig. 9 is a detail enlarged obverse side elevational view of the sheet gripper and its operating mechanism, Fig. 10 is a detail sectional View of said gripper. Fig. 11 is a detail elevational view of the same.

Referring to the drawings by letters, like letters indicating'like parts in the several views, and wherein the present invention is disclosed as applied to a butter print wrapping machine, and particularly to Fig. 1, A denotes the frame of the machine. Mounted in the frame A is the main shaft B. suitably connected to the several mechanisms of the machine for driving the same, which shaft B may be conveniently driven by any suitable means, as manuallyby the handle C, or mechanically by the motor D. The frame A is also. provided with a print supporting and feeding hopper F located at the forward end of the machine.

A stack holding bcx or frame H is suitably supported on the frame A at the rear of the hopper F, the box H having within it a movable bottom h. supported by two legs h, one on either side. 'One of these legs, shown in Fig. 3, has a rack h? which is engaged by a gear h on a shaft 7?, said shaft having at its opposite end a ratchet wheel h", as best seen from Fig. 2. The said ratchet wheel 11. is operated by means of a pawl h mounted on a swinging arm h pivoted concentrically with the center of the ratchet wheel and connected by a rod h with a swinging arm h carried by a shaft h journaled in the machine frame. The said swinging arm h is so placed as to be engaged by a cam roll it on the cam It mounted upon said main shaft B so that through these connections the ratchet wheel 12.? will be operated once every revolution of the main shaft, and under-normal conditions will step up the ratchet wheel h rotate the shaft h and gear wheel iv, and lift the table or bottom h through the rack 7L and table supporting arms h. It will thus be seen that an intermittent lift is iven to the table but is is observed that this lift must be varied to meet the needs of the stack, neither advancing it too fast or lagging behind so that the feed will not be uniform, and it is necessary to provide automatic controlling means for this ratchet, feature of the table. This means comprises a pivoted fceler roll 71 mounted in a suitable bracket carried upon a rocking shaft t jo n in the stack frame or box and havin at one end an arm h mounted to swing in ependcntly thereof and connected by a link It shaft 71 willbe rocked and throu h the arm h and link h the pawl h will be lifted out of engagement with the ratchet h and will so continue until the feed from the stack permits the feeler roll h to fall sufficiently to permit engagement of the pawl and ratchet. Preferably a pawl h will be provided to prevent any accidental reverse movement of the ratchet 7L and lowering of the stack, and it is contemplated to also provide the shaft h with a crank arm 71", shown in Fig. l, by means of which the stack supporting bottom or board It may be run up and down manually when desired. Fixed upon the end of the rocking shaft 72, is an adjusting segment 7L for the feeler arm h. This segment extends inthe directionof the arm h from the shaft 72., is of substantial width, as disclosed particularly in Figs. ,6 and], and is provided with opposed and inwardly extendin flanges it. These flanges h extend over the upper and lower sides of the feeler. arm h and are provided with adjustable stops 'h", disclosed in the form of set-screws, which are adapted to engage at their inner' ends the respective upper and lower sides of the feeler arm it. Thus the feeler roll h and the rocking shaft 72. have a free movement independently of the feeler arm h, the extent of the movement being limited by the adjustable stops it so that the feeler roll it may rise and fall to a distance equal to several thicknesses of the wrappers or sheets placed upon the table 72. This adjusting segment 71, thus prevents the continuous operation of the pawl lifting mechanism so that the table 72, may be advanced materially each time the pawl h is released and allowed to engage the teeth of the ratchet h and a more positive and even op eration of the bottom advancing mechanism ishad.

As best shown in Fig. 4 the stack of wrappers will normally lie in the position shown, and the upper sheets at least of the stack will be pierced and held by means of suitable points it yieldingly mounted in lugs h on the wrapper box H, as disclosed in detail in Fig. 8 of the drawings. Each lug or support h is provided with a recess extending nearly through the lug and merging into a relatively small opening through the lower side of the lug. The points it ex-' tend down through this reduced opening and has an enlarged head it from which recess a stud 71 passes through a retaining nut h threaded into the upper end of the recess. A spring 71. is arranged in the recess about the stud it and bears at its upper end against the not it, the spring yieldingly holding the head in the lower end of the recess. These points serve to hold'the sheets from accidentally slipping from the top of the stack because of the inclination of the stack, and yet offering no material resistance to the pulling off of the top wrapper as it is mechanically fed. This mechanical feeding of the wrapper isaccomplished by the pull of a transversely extending weighted bar 12, preferably provided on its underside with a suitable friction material as sponge rubber, so as to insure a sufficient frictionless grip to move the uppermost wrapper. The bar h rests directly on the uppermost wrapper, is provided with relatively short studs h at its opposite ends, as

shown to advantage in Fig. 5, andis provided at each end with a rearwardly extending lug h having connection by links h with the upper ends of rocking arms h pivoted at either side of the box H. The lower ends of the rocking arms h are suitably connected as by pins 71, and slots 72- with any longitudinally reciprocating part of the machine, disclosed in the present instance as i edges of the box at points intermediate their length, as at h, whereby to accommodate the studs h beneath the strips and admit of the free play of the cross-bar it within the box. The upper edges of the sides of the box H are provided with inclines it over which the studs h are adapted to travel when the bar 71. reaches the forward end of its stroke to raise the bar upwardly from engagement with the uppermost wrapper. The strips h extend forwardly in such raised or arched position to the bot toms of the inclines against which they yieldingly rest. When the studs it move up the inclines h these studs press up against the ends of the strips h and raise the latter, the studs finally snapping past the ends of the strips and riding over the upper faces of the same upon the return pingof the studs it through the strips at the extreme limit of the backward stroke of the bar it. In Fig. 3 there is shown in dotted lines the position of the bar it when moved forward and ready to start on its backward stroke. The dotted linesalso show the opposite position of the rocking lever h. Whenthe bar h moves forwardly itpushes the uppermost wrapper or sheet forwardly from the box and over a supporting roll It extending across the forward end of thebox. The roll it is journaled at its ends in blocks k slidable in vertical guideways 71/ and being normall and yieldingly held up against stops [2, located at the upper ends of the guideways 71/ by springs to retain the roller it from displacement with respect to the guide-ways. With this construction or arrangement it is seen that unevenness in the thickness of the wrappers or sheets fed from the box H will be accommodated for since the roller h j will yield under any excess pressure. The frame A is provided with a transverse shaft it upon which are mounted a pair of feeding segments h adapted to be turned down into engagement with the Wrapper end extending over the roll it. The turning of the segments it against the wrapper forces the forward end of the wrapper downward over an apron it, a sheet directing guard or plate It being provided in front of the apron to direct the forward edge of the wrapper upon the feed downwardly in order to yieldingly hold the sheet or wrapper in the vertical position into which the segments 7;. move the wrapper, the apron 72 5 is provided with an adjusting screw it threaded through a bracket, h fixed upon the forward end of the box. A crank arm k is mounted on one end of the shaft it and is connected by a suitable link 72, to a wrist pin h mounted inthe outer face of the cam it. Thus the cam h transmits its rotary movement to the friction segments It by means of the link h. By this arrangement the friction segments h are also properly timed to engage the forwardly extending end of the wrapper which is thrust from the front of the box H. Movement of the screw 71. in opposite directions moves the lower end of the apron it toward or from the lower end of the guard or plate It. It will be noted that the guard plate It" is inclined toward the box-H at its upper end so as to present an inclined directing face to the edge of the sheet or wrapper as it is forced out of the box, and to insure the deflecting of the forward end of the sheet downwardly into the space between the apron it? and the guard plate it constituting the upper end of the throat of the machine. The throat of the machine extends below theapron and the guard plate nd c nstitutes the ath of trave of the.

to beseized by the gripper which will now be described.

Referring particularly to Figsv 9 10 and -ll', wherein is shown indetail the sheet gripping mechanism, is, k denotes two jaws one of which jaws 7c is carried by a sleeve sliding on a supporting rod k while the jaw A? is pivoted at is to the first named jaw, and has a projecting arm 70 connected by a spring k to a fixed lug on the sleeve b so as to be normally under tension with the jaws in closed or gripping position. Movement of the jaw is may be regulated by means of a screw 10 which is adjustable to and from a notched Wall in the movable jaw is so as to limit the swinging of the jaw in and regulate its grip relative to the fixed jaw is. The sleeve 70 is raised and lowered on its rod 10 by means of a link 70 and lever if, said lever k being carried by a rock shaft is, which through the arm is and cam rod rod; is is oscillated at regular intervals from the cam roll 7: which engages the cam groove 7: in the cam is mounted on the main shaft B of the machine, and preferably the cam rod is will be forked or looped on the main shaft B for support. The timing is such that the wrapper feeding mechanism above described and the sheetgripping mechanism just set forth will so cooperate as to bring the sheet gripper to its upper dotted line position, shown in Fig. 9, just as the wrapper sheet delivers a sheet from the stack down the throat of the machine. The grippers k 70- are normally held open by means of a dog is, the nose of which engages the underside of the arm is of the movable jaw of the gripper and holds it away froin the other jaw against the stress of the spring k. The dog is is pivoted on the sleeve 70 and has an operating arm is". As the gripper is thrust upwardly by the mechanism just described the jaws will be opened and will so remain until the lower edge of a wrapper is dropped between them. At this point and before the gripper starts downwardly the arm in, which is pivoted in the machine frame and operated through the arm k and the cam roll 70 engaging a groove In in the cam h mounted on the main shaft B, swings forward to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 9, and then swings back to its full line position. The arm 70 carries at its upper end a shoe k so positioned as to engage a pin 70 on the arm 70 as the arm 70 swings back, displacing the arm in and throwing the nose of the dog 70* into line With the notch 7e whereupon the spring Z1 will pull the arm lg down and bring the jaws of the gripper together and grip the depending end of the'wrapper. The gripper then'descends to the full line position, shown in Fig. 9, whereupon the arm is" strikes the hub is of the arm is throwing the nose out of the notch and separating the jaws as shown; It will thus be seen that the improved mechanism of this invention removes the wrappers one by one from the stack in the box H, forces the wrappers singly down into the throat of the machine and into the bite it, where the wrappers are yieldingly held by the pressure of the adjustable apron h against the wrapper and in position to be gripped by the grippers 7; 7a engage the lower edge of the sheet or wrapper and draw it into position to be operated upon by the wrapping mechanism. In the machine disclosed in the drawings and in connection with which the improved feeding mechanism is shown, the prints are fed-from the bottom of thehopper F by a plunger G, suitably connected to the operating shaft B to be reciprocated by the latter across the throat of the machine into the wrapping mechanism. As above explained the wrapper or sheet is drawn down into the throat of the machine so that the print moves against the wrapper and forces the same into the wrapping mechanism.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by use of this device the wrappers will be automatically fed to the machine and the wrappers will be placed in such position that they may be readily operated upon by the print feeding and wrapping mechanism disclosed in the accompanying drawings. It is unnecessary for the operator to handle the paper in any way since the wrappers are taken automatically from the stack and fed into the proper position.

What is claimed is 1. Ina machine of the class described, the combination of the following instrumentalities; a wrapper stack support, means for feeding a single wrapper from the top of said stack, a gripper to seize the end of said wrapper and draw it into the throat of the machine, and means for suspending said wrapper by its upper end in said throat.

21 In a machine of the class described the combination of the following instrumentalities; a wrapper stack support, means for feeding a single wrapper from the top of said stack, a rising and falling gripper to seize the projected end of said wrapper draw it into the throat of the machine and then release it, and means for suspending said wrapper by its opposite end in said throat.

3. In a machine of the class described the combination of the following instrumentalities; a wrapper stack support, means for feeding a single wrapper from the top of said stack, spring jaws slidingly mounted in the throat of the machine to "seize and draw a wrapper from the stack into the throat, means for adjusting the bite of said jaws, a jaw opening dog, and means to release said dog and permit the jaws to be closed atthe extreme point of the upward movement of said jaws.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of the following instrumentalities; a wrapper stack support, means for feeding a single wrapper from the top of said stack, means for drawing said wrapper into the throat of the machine, and elastic gripping means between which the wrapper is suspended when the action of the wrapper drawin means ceases.

5. In a maclnne of the class described the combination of' the following instrumentalit-ies; a wrapper stack support, means for feeding a single wrapper from the top of said stack, means for drawing'said wrapper into the throat of the machine, an apron to direct. the wrapper from the stack into the throat of the machine, and a guard plate coiiperating with said apron to grip and suspend a wrapper when the action of said wrapper drawing means ceases.

6. In a wrapper feedingj machine, the combination of the following instrumentalities; a table adapted to receive a stack of wrappers, lifting means engaging the table to raise the same, a pivoted feeler arm carried by the machine and resting at its free end on top of said stack of wrappers, and having connection with said lifting means whereby to disconnect the same from the table when the stack reaches a. predeter mined height, and an adjustable support for said feeler arm adapted to limit the swinging of said arm as desired to regulate the movement of the feeler arm with respect to said lifting means.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination ofthe following instrumentalities: a box adapted to contain a stack of wrappers, a roller arranged across the forward end of the box, selecting means engaging the uppermost wrapper and moving device movable against the forward end of the wrapper projecting over said roller and adapted to thrust the wrapper downwardly against said guard plate, an apron opposed to said guard plate and extending, from be- -neath said roller to the lower end of the 'guard plate arranged adjacent said table whereby to deflect said wrappers downward .as they pass from the table, and an adjustable apron opposed to said guard plate and adapted for adjustment toward and from the same whereby to frictionally hold said wrappers from fallingafter the same have left the table. R

9. In a Wrapper feeding mechanism and in combination, a wrapper stack support, a weighted bar extending transversely of the upper end of'the support and adapted for engagement with the uppermost wrapper on the support, said bar having longitudinally extending studs at its end, guide strips carried at the sides of the support and engaging/said studs whereby to force the bar against the uppermost wrapper, means for reciprocating said transverse bar over the stack support, guides at the forward end of the stack support for said studs whereby to raise said bar from the stack when the bar reaches the limit of its forward movement, said guides being adapted to direct said studs on top of said strips upon the return movement of the bar whereby to hold said bar from the wrappers and means at the opposite ends of the strips for directing said studs beneath the same when said bar reaches the limit of its inward movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD F. STEWART. Witnesses:

IRVING GAMBET, KATHERINE C. GLANVILLE. 

